From the beginning, the board tried to increase the salaries of our teachers. We understand and appreciate the desire to advocate on behalf of our teachers – as many have done at board meetings. We, too, are friends and neighbours with the teachers. We also have children who benefit from their commitment and dedication. However, the realities of the economy and government funding play a limiting role. The collective bargaining process is rarely simple. As many know from social media, the issues still at stake between the parties are wages, health insurance and the benefit payment system. The two teams, he said, « came back and triggered our differences and we [worked] out an agreement in principle, » he said. Lyons said the deal includes salary increases of about 2 to 3 percent a year for teachers and eliminates a controversial performance-based pay system adopted by the board and union in late 2013, which many teachers said they saw as degrading and divisive. The contract follows the previous deal, which expired last summer, Lyons said.

In recent months, parishioners in the cities served by rsu 22 (Hampden, Newburgh, Winterport and Frankfurt) have expressed concern about the progress of teachers` contract negotiations and questioned the negotiating objectives of the RSU 22 board of directors. We also understand that some community members are frustrated by the public`s lack of response to community questions, which may have given the impression that we are not listening to community members or our teachers. The RSU 22 Board of Directors is working diligently to develop a negotiated agreement that is fair to teachers, taxpayers, the community and our children. The board appreciates all of its teachers and staff who work so hard to make RSU 22 training a success. We listen, but the negotiations are confidential. However, the negotiations have now become public via social media. Therefore, the Council is obliged to explain its position. The member cities of RSU 22 are Hampden, Newburgh, Winterport and Frankfurt. If the new treaty is ratified by teachers, it will apply retroactively to last summer and run until Aug. 31, 2018, Lyons said.

In March, rsu 22`s board of directors took the unusual step of releasing some of the terms of its recent contract offer to district teachers at a meeting that drew a large crowd to Hampden Academy. « We still have a long way to go in the future, but one mountain at a time, » she said, adding, « We look forward to keeping education our No. 1 priority. Our children come first. The Board of Directors proposed to leave the current health insurance contribution rates unchanged during the contract. RSU 22 would continue to pay 100% of teacher coverage and 70% of the additional cost of dependent coverage as long as annual premiums do not increase by more than 5% each year. If the premium increase is higher, teachers would be responsible for the additional costs. Albee said Wednesday that while teachers who are part of the union are happy to have made progress, their work is not yet done. The Council does not make financial proposals in a vacuum. We recognize the need to support our teachers and remain competitive with neighboring school districts.

But the community can`t afford to completely revamp the pay scale in a contract. RSU 22 does not have the same tax base and financial resources as the cities of Bangor and Brewer. Given that rsu 22 is one of the highest recipients of state grants in our region when our legislature does not fully fund general education assistance, which it has never done, the negative effects have hit our district particularly hard. Unfortunately, we expect a loss of approximately $325,300 in state aid for 2016-2017. Nevertheless, we remain committed to the proposal we have made to our teachers. However, the board is not willing to accept the idea that teachers should receive an automatic increase simply because they have worked an extra year. The board suggested that teachers maintain a baseline performance standard to advance a step up the salary scale. This standard includes obtaining an assessment of « competence » in classroom management from the district assessment tool implemented with input from teachers. During the contract negotiations, teachers claimed, among other things, that they received several thousand dollars less per year than their colleagues in the Grand Bangor, according to an information graphic posted on a Facebook page called Support Education in RSU 22. Teachers said the relatively low salary had prompted some to leave the district. The council proposed a salary increase in teachers` salaries in 2015 of more than 9% over the three-year term of the proposed contract. Teachers would receive an average increase of about 2.7%, 3.1% and 3.5% per year, respectively.

During these three years, teachers would receive an average increase of $4,700. This amount would vary for each teacher depending on where they are on the salary scale. Finally, the board also agreed to abandon the merit pay system, which allows teachers to earn up to $1,000 more each year if they receive an excellent grade. The association found that the performance pay system is degrading and divisive. While there are valid arguments on both sides of the issue, we listened to the association and agreed to abolish the performance pay program. Niles Parker is Chairman of the Board of Directors of RsU 22. President Niles Parker addressed the conflicts in a prepared statement, which he read at the start of the board meeting in March. The statement, which included a summary of the board`s final proposal, was also posted on the school district`s website.

As part of its salary proposal, the board consulted with the teachers` association on the structure of the salary scale. Among the concerns of the association is the fact that it takes 25 years to reach the top of the ladder. In addition, members of the association expressed concern that the existing structure leads to years in which teachers do not receive a salary adjustment. In response, we proposed to reduce the number of levels on the salary scale, which would result in a higher lifetime income. The board also proposed adjustments as part of the scale to ensure that most teachers receive a level increase each year of the contract. Members of the Education Association 22 began voting on ratifying the treaty on Wednesday and are expected to be completed by Thursday morning, emily Albee, a teacher at Hampden Academy who is part of the union`s bargaining team, said Wednesday night. .